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When most gardeners think of Swiss Chard, also called Silverbeet among other common names, they think of 2 varieties: The everyday Swiss Chard, white stems with green leaves, and the Bright or Neon Lights which boasts …

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It has been an interesting week weather wise. We started out shoveling and ended up melting instead. Ahead we are looking at more warmer than normal temperatures as El Nino continues to affect us. I’ll …

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The first listing of Tennessee Sweet Potato squash seeds, then called Green Striped Bell Squash was in 1947. It was then acquired by Burpee, who changed the name.

Some people suggest this is the same squash Thomas Jefferson referred to as Potato Pumpkin.

The flesh is pale, sweet and dry. Many gardeners say the flavor isn’t that great compared to other winter squashes. Others say the sweet potato like flavor makes it perfect for pie. What does make this squash stand out is that it can be held 6 months or more, often into the following spring.

We found the Tennessee Sweet Potato to not be as prolific as the spaghetti squash. We did notice though that when the weather cooled off it became more productive.

Another bonus is that because it is Cucurbita mixta it won’t cross pollinate with the majority of other squash types. Read the specifics of which squash will cross with others here.
This puts it in the Forever Food category as you can easily save the seeds for the following year.

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Not all cauliflowers are created equal.
There are many varieties of color available, as well as some variants in the shape of the mature head.

Name

Color

F1 or HL

Notes

Snow Crown

White

F1

Very early summer or fall type.

Graffiti

Purple

F1

Longer to mature but grows large heads with great color.

Green Macereta

Apple Green

HL

Early Italian variety

Snowball Self-Blanching

White

HL

Standard variety that you do not need to pull the leaves over to get a nice color.

Purple of Sicily

Purple w/ White

HL

Turns green when cooked.

Romanesco

Lime Green

HL

Interesting variety with a spiraled curd.

Cheddar

Orange

F1

Higher in Vitamin A the color brightens when cooked.

Notes:
-Graffiti seeds are becoming scarce and expensive.
-There is also a brown variety of cauliflower, but we could not find anything more than that it is an Italian variety.
-HL includes open pollinated and heirloom.
-Purple varieties have more antioxidants.

Whether your garden is large or small, you probably want to make the best use of it.
That’s why you may want to consider Zucchino Rampicante.

This delicious squash grows vertically easily and produces an abundance of light green summer squash. Harvested small they are a wonderful addition to any recipe you would use zucchini in. The squash shown above were harvested after the weather had turned cold here in the Northeast, and after all the other zucchini had stopped producing.

If left to their own devices these squash can become quite large as you can see. Their skin hardens and they are now used as a winter squash. They can be stored throughout the season as you would a pumpkin.

Baker Creek describes this stage as “… great as winter squash. The Italians use it for stuffing in gnocchi and ravioli; the flesh is rich and flavorful, great for baking and pies!”

We concur.

Can it get any better? Well, yes.
Because Zucchino Rampicante is a C. moschata, it won’t cross with most other squash varieties. This means the seeds you save are more likely to produce the same veggie.

Here are the specs:Botanical name:Curcubita moschataDays to maturity:70 for young onesHardiness: Can take some cooler temperatures once established.How to grow: Very heavy feeders, amend the soil well. Plant 3′ apart, closer if trellising. Direct seed after all frost or very carefully transplant.

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Not all beets are created equal, nor do they taste the same. Even most people who don’t like beets normally, may change their minds with a milder tasting one. The Golden Beet pictured has a very mild flavor compared to dark red beets.

Of course how you prepare them matters as well. Even Mandolin, who professes to dislike beets, will eat Beet Burgers.

So here are a few varieties to consider, whether you are trying to get someone else to like beets, or even yourself.

Note that beets listed as ‘heirloom’ includes open pollinated varieties.

Variety

Color

DTM

HL or F1

Flavor & Use

Detroit Dark Red

Red

55

HL

Sweet with good greens.

Touchstone Gold

Yellow

55

HL

Sweet and smooth.

Albino

White

55

HL

Super sweet.

Chioggia

Red with pink ringed flesh

60

HL

Mildly sweet.

Cylindra

Red

54

HL

Oblong shape yields uniform slices for canning.

Bull's Blood

Red

35-55

HL

Grown more for the leaves which are harvested early.

Babybeet

Red

40

HL

Small beet great for preparing whole.

Merlin

Red

48

F1

Very uniform growing beets that are smooth and very sweet.

Golden Beet

Yellow

55

HL

Very sweet non-bleeding color.

Lutz Salad Leaf

Red

70

HL

Large root that stores well and great leaves.

Sugar Beet

White

95

HL

Large conical roots can be used for making sugar.

Additional notes:

Yellow beet varieties tend to have a lower germination rate, but they also have a milder flavor.

Most beet seeds pods contain 2 seeds, so thinning is needed or you can just give them enough room to stay together.

There is a lot of crossover with corn, many varieties of dry corn can also be enjoyed as sweet corn or roasted when the cobs are young.
Also, varieties listed as good for cornmeal may also be good for popping, though in general popping kernels have a pointier base.

The difference between corn grits, corn meal and corn flour is a matter of how finely you grind the kernels.
Corn starch is made using a different refining technique all together, though you can substitute homemade corn flour for it in most recipes.

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Whether you want to save corn seeds for popping, replanting or grinding, the method is the same.

When the ears are full, choose the best one to save. It should be one of the plumpest, not have disease, and preferably come from a stalk that produced at least 2 ears.

If insects are an issue, you can cover the ear with a paper bag to help keep them out. Replace as needed.

Otherwise, just let the ear remain on the stalk until the plant begins to die back. You will see the leaves turning brown and a general dry appearance.

Remove the ear, shuck and remove the silks.

We have found the drier the cob the easier it is to remove the kernels, so it is okay to let it sit a bit before pushing the kernels off the cob. Some cobs can be snapped in half, making the seed removal much faster.

Let the kernels sit also, in a warm place to continue drying.

You can purchase seeds specific for the use you want, smaller cobs are generally better for popping and some varieties are listed as good for grinding.

Pictured above is White Eagle Cherokee, an heirloom corn that made a gorgeous blue corn meal.